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Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011

Abstract

Kangayam grassland in the tropical region of south India has been sustainably managed for over one hundred and fifty years. In a region with meagre rainfall, growing grass is the farmers' main vocation. Between 1855 and 1881, the majority of government 'wastelands' were given on lease to farmers who organized the land into grazing paddocks and fenced with hedges of Balasmodendron berryi. Numerous wells were dug in the grazing lands to provide water for drinking to animals and to some extent for irrigation. Between July and February, the animals are exclusively grazed by rotating between paddocks. The grazing lands are cultivated every 4 to 5 years and sorghum is sown and made into hay for animal feeding between March and June. In several places, the Cenchrus dominated grassland is also sown with legumes like Phaseolus trilobus to improve the quality of forage. Security of land tenure coupled with technological interventions has sustained the productive capacity of the grassland for over a century. The grassland also has a stable human population and healthy female to male ratio. It offers a model for replication elsewhere under similar low rainfall conditions.

Details

Title
Evolution of sedentary pastoralism in south India: case study of the Kangayam grassland
Author
Kumar, Anil; Natarajan, S; Biradar, Nagaratna B; Trivedi, Brij K
Pages
1-18
Publication year
2011
Publication date
May 2011
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
ISSN
20417128
e-ISSN
20417136
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
1726738958
Copyright
Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011